Red Eyes and Velvet Skies
by Hell-Cat-18
Summary: When Zim shares some grave news with the Tallest, Red and Purple leave everything behind to travel to Earth and help Red's love. Yeah I know sounds sucky, just give it a try. Rated for swearing, and may go up to R in later chapters. RXL PX?
1. Anger and Friendship

**Chapter 1: Anger and Friendship**

"Greetings my Tallest!" Zim chirped as the Massive's deck came into focus on the screen, but instead of two Tallest greeting him, Zim was met with a very worried and annoyed looking Purple.  
  
"What do you want Zim," Purple asked with a heavy sigh as he brought his slender fingers to his temples. He could feel a massive headache coming on, and he was certain that Nachos weren't going to help.  
  
"Where's Tallest Red?" Zim questioned completely ignoring Purple as he bounced around on the screen obviously attempting to catch a glimpse of the missing Tallest.  
  
"He's...indisposed at the moment," Purple answered casting a worried glance to his co-ruler who was currently staring out the window into nothing. Purple felt a twinge in his stomach as worry worked its way into his gut. Red had been acting so strange lately, he was extremely depressed, he spent most of his time beating the shit out of a punching bag, and he rarely if ever ate anymore. Turning his attention back to Zim, Purple folded his arms and tried to put on his best 'you're really fucking annoying me right now,' look. Zim, as usual, was completely oblivious to this, and he almost seemed worried about something himself.  
  
"Well, I'm concerned about Lir's health. She's been acting very strangely lately, she's seems to be experiencing a malfunction in her emotion monitors," Zim stated, his twitching antenna displaying his feelings to be genuine. At this Purple unfolded his arms and stared slack jawed at Zim, Lir was having problems too, it had to be a coincidence...right?  
  
"What symptoms does she seem to be showing?" Purple asked casting another look at Red before returning his attention to Zim.  
  
"Well, she seems to be suffering from deep depression, she rarely ever eats, and...I believe that she may be performing what these Earth-Monkeys call Cutting," Zim answered, he was expecting Purple to show some concern, but he was completely unprepared for what actually did happen.  
  
"WHAT?" came the explosive reply from somewhere off screen. Zim watched as Purple was literally shoved off screen and was replaced by a very angry looking Red.  
  
"Greetings my Tallest I was just...." Zim nearly jumped out of his uniform as Red sharply cut him off.  
  
"Shut the fuck up Zim! Now, unless you want your PAK to fucking explode I suggest you tell me exactly what you just told Purple," Red hissed, his voice filled with the venom of a Viper. Zim swallowed hard and silently cursed himself as his antenna flattened themselves against his head in complete fear, something was wrong, he'd never seen Red this angry before and on top of that, Zim noticed that Red wasn't wearing his standard armor and robes. Instead he wore a loose fitting black t-shirt with a red Irken logo, black and red combats, and a pair of black chunky boots. Shoving this aside Zim returned his gaze to Red's flaming one, and swallowed hard again.  
  
"I was...telling Tallest Purple that Lir has been behaving very oddly lately and..." once again Zim was cut short by Red.  
  
"I head all of that you fucking defective, what did you say after that," Red hissed as his hand strayed to the laser at his belt. He watched in slight amusement as Zim shuddered hard before regaining composure and returning a faltering gaze back to his.  
  
"She's...she's been cutting herself my Tallest. It's the practice of..." Zim began to go into one of him infamous rants when he was quickly silenced by the look that filled Red's eyes.  
"I know what it is Zim," Red hissed through clenched teeth as he unconsciously brought a hand to rest on his own arm.  
  
"I'm...worried about her," Zim replied quietly as he shrank back from the screen.  
  
"How long has this been going on?" Red questioned he hand once again returning to his laser.  
  
"A...week, maybe longer," Zim stuttered as fear finally took over his small form.  
  
"A WEEK, YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THAT THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR A WHOLE FUCKING WEEK, AND YOU'RE JUST NOW CALLING US?" Red bellowed as he brought his laser up and pointed it directly at Zim's head. At this, all the Technicians, who had been cowering under their workstations, fled for their lives, none of them had ever seen their Tallest this mad before, but they knew it wasn't going to end pretty. Purple had stayed, but he was currently putting a good deal of distance between himself and Red.  
  
"Please...for...forgive me...my Tallest," Zim chocked out as his eyes threatened to bug out of his head. Red took a ragged breath, and slowly lowered his laser, turning away from Zim he returned his gaze to the window.  
  
"If she's dead, it'll be your head Zim," with that Red slammed his fist down on the control panel and watched as the screen went black. For a minute no body moved, the only sounds that could be heard where the occasional beep of the controls and Red's ragged breathing. Suddenly Red collapsed onto the cool metal floor of the control room, instantly Purple was at his side, he knew it was dangerous but fuck, Red was his best friend, and something was deadly wrong.  
  
"Red?" Purple called tentatively as he placed a shaking had on his friend's shoulder. Red instantly jerked back like he'd been burned before turning a wild gaze to Purple.  
  
"Red...it's okay it's me, Red?" Purple sobbed as he reached out for his friend again.  
  
"Pur? Oh God..." Red gasped before he threw himself into Purple's arms and began to sob.  
  
"Red...what's wrong," Purple pleaded completely shaken by his friend's actions, sure Red had always had a temper, but Purple had never seen him this bad, and he couldn't remember a time having ever seen Red cry.  
  
"I...I have to leave, I have to go to her," Red choked out around broken sobs. "It's all my fault...I never should have sent her their damn it...she wanted to stay here with me...and...I sent her away...it's all...my fault."  
  
"What are you...oh my God...you love her don't you," Purple asked as realization finally dawned on him.  
  
"More than anything," Red stated as he drew a shaky breath. "I'm threw, fuck being a Tallest...I'm going to Earth...they can get someone else to do this fucking job," Red stated as he pushed himself up and ran over to the control panel to begin sending out the orders to ready his private ship.  
  
"I'm going with you," Purple stated as he came to stand by Red.  
  
"What? You can't...this...this is all you've ever wanted Purple! Ever since we were little all you could talk about was someday being Tallest, and...I won't let you give that up," Red answered as he turned his attention back to the control panel he had barely started ordering the provisions when Purple grabbed him roughly by the shoulder and spun him around to face him.  
  
"First of all...who the fuck are you to tell me what I can and can't give up, and second of all, you think you're the only one who's tired of this shit hauling job? I'm going with you whether you like it or not, besides I can't leave you out in space by yourself, who knows what the fuck you'll blow up," Purple finished with a small laugh, and watched to his delight as Red smiled the first true smile he'd seen in month's.  
  
"I don't deserve you Pur," Red stated as he turned back around to finish with the ordering.  
  
"That's right, you don't. Now I'm going to go put some comfier clothes on and I'll pack for both of us," Purple called as he exited the bridge, but just before the doors closed he could of swore he heard Red laugh. Smiling to himself Purple took off a run for their rooms, yes, it was about damn time he took a permanent vacation and the council be damned, it wouldn't take them that long to find someone to replace them anyway. Smiling again, Purple threw his head back into a near hysterical laugh, causing any drone within five feet to scamper into a corner in fear. 'Huh let them," Purple thought as he reached his room, 'besides...it's not like they'll have to put up with Red and I much longer.'  
  
Smiling again, Purple shoved his way into his room and hastily began throwing his things into a compression duffle bag. 'Still I am going to miss bossing those little bitches around.' Purple chuckled to himself and continued with his packing.

**Author's Note: **

Okay I know that everyone is extremely OCC and you know what FUCK YOU! This is my story and that's how it's going to go, next chapter I'll explain more about Red and Lir's connection, and all that yummy stuff...so I don't really expect anyone to review this story, it's going to burn in Hell with all the flames, but it would be nice to get some reviews and all. Anyway, not everyone is going to be OCC okay, Zim, Gir, Dib, and Gaz will all be their normal egotistical, insane, crazy, morbid little selves. I think Red and Purple are the only ones that will be extreme OCC and I'm not even sure that can be justified since you're not really given a view into their true personalities in the show. I don't know, like I said this is my story, and if you don't like it, then don't read it, it's that simple people.


	2. Catch Me As I Fall

**Special Thanks:**

**Invader Johnny: Thank you so much for all of your support in this story, and my previos story as well. Yeah I know they probably wouldn't just up and leave like that, but hey, Red loves her lol. Anyway, yeah about Zim being scared of Tallest Red, that was really hard to do without making Zim extremely OCC, but if you could really see Tallest Red, you'd have been fricken scared too lol.**

**Eax M.Attalos: Thanks, and I toned this chapter down quiet a bit, you were right, I was getting a little carried away with the swearing.**

**Disclaimer:**

**I don't own Invader Zim blah, blah, blah, but I do own Lir so don't you fricken steal her you moronic nutjobs!!!**

**Chapter 2: Catch Me As I Fall**

**Red shifted in the piolet's chair, trying to get some feeling back into his legs. He silently thanked the Vortians for having recently invented new hyper thrusters for his ship. It was bad enough that the trip to Earth still took a good two months, but it beat the shit out of the post six months that it would have taken. Still...this trip was taking way to damn long for Red's tastes, silently he prayed that Lir would still be alive when he got their, if she wasn't, he would make good on his promise to Zim. **

**"Hey, why don't you take a break...you look like you could use a good rest, and when's the last time you ate?" Purple questioned sounding much like Smeet mother. **

**"No...not tired...and I don't know," Red answered truthfully as he slumped further into his chair. **

**"Look, it's not going to do Lir any good if you die before we even get there," Purple nearly shouted, having long ago gotten fed up with Red's stubbornness. **

**"Fine! I'll go get something to eat, then I'll go take a nap, will that make you happy Mommy?" Red yelled back, sounding exactly like an overly tired whiny teenager. **

**"Good, now move it!" Purple commanded physically shoving Red out of the piolet's chair and onto the floor.**

**"Bastard," he heard Red mumble as he staggered off to the dining hall. Purple winced as he watched his friends movements, Red really was in bad shape if he was stumbling that badly, and he was probably still hiding a lot of his condition. Red was like that, always had been even in the acadamy. Purple had lost count of how many times Red had literally ran himself to the point of collapsing while they had ruled. 'His stubbornness will be the death of him,' Purple thought with a sad shake of his head, before turning his attention back to the blackness before him.**

_**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**_

**Red sat and absently picked at his half eaten nacho's, he knew Purple was worried about him, but he'd been in worse shape before. 'That a lie and you know it,' his mind yelled at him. Okay, so he was bad, no worse than bad, he was killing himself and he knew it. God, why did he send her away, why the Hel didn't he go with her? Shoving his nacho's across the table in disgust, Red folded his arms on the table top and laid his head on them. 'Can't go to sleep...what if something happens...can't...go...to...sleep...' was Red final thought before complete exhaustion took over and he was lost to dreamless sleep.**

_**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**_

**Purple slowly made his way down the corridor to the dining hall, he needed a doughnut and very large caffeinated beverage, he now understood why Red was so addicted to that stuff, it really did help when you had to pull an all nighter, which Red did all the time. Pressing the access panel on the wall, he watched as the doors slid open with a soft hiss, only to reveal an obviously passed out Red slumped over the table. Purple growled low in his throat, this was literally getting ridiculous, he had never seen Red this bad before, sure he had fallen asleep a couple of times during meetings, but never like this.**

**"Damn you, I swear you'll be your own death," Purple sighed as he lifted Red over his shoulder, and much to his horror and surprise Red, who had always been a light sleeper, didn't react at all the his actions. This was not good, Red's PAK should have a least sent some kind of warning in detection of the sudden movements, but there Red lay, still out cold and looking like he'd been through Hell and back. Purple found his eyes widening as he was finally able to take in his friend's appearance. Red's normally lime green skin was now the color of mint ice cream, dark circles surrounded each eye telling of Red's extremely high stress levels, and his antenna hung limp over the side of his head.**

**Purple made short work of carrying Red to his bed chamber, where he carefully placed Red on the large bed, pulling the covers over his friend. Knowing he could do no more, Purple sighed and left the room, he knew Red would be alright for now, he would be out for a good couple of hours at least. Returning to the dining hall, Purple grabbed a bag of doughnuts and a large brain-freeze, and slowly made his way back to the bridge. Slumping back down into the piolet's chair, Purple began to wonder what he was going to do with Red, if he let him keep this up any longer he'd be the only one arriving on Earth. Just short of locking Red up however, Purple was out of options, all he could do was continue trying to Red to eat, and sleep as much as he could.**

**Sighing again, Purple finished off his last doughnut and gulped down the rest of his orange brain-freeze, he slumped down into the chair and tried to get comfortable, they still had a four weeks worth of travel ahead of them, and right now they were traveling between solar systems...so this was a wonderful time to try and get a little shut eye himself.**

**Shuffling in his chair again, Purple proceeded to do just that.**

_**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**_

**Red's Dream in his POV**

**"Next!" he heard Purple yell wearily into a seemingly endless row of Irkens. God how he hated the Great Measuring, it wasn't so much that it was hard work, it was just so damn time consuming. Taking another sip from his slushie, he let out a low sigh and stood to re-join Purple.**

**"How many more do we have left?" he asked, not really wanted to hear the answer.**

**"Oh I'd say about...another million, give or take a couple thousand," Purple answered, his voice full of venom and shear exhastion. Red mearly groaned in response before pickin up his own data pad, and taking a look at the Irken before them, and much to his surprise it was a female.**

**"Hey Pur, when did they start letting females become Invader's?" he whispered to his co-ruler.**

**"Huh...oh, I don't know, does it really matter," Purple replied rubbing his sore and tired eyes.**

**"Guess not...but, look at how tall she is," Red stammered finally really looking at the female before him. He was right, she was tall, and beautiful at that. Her eyes were a deep dark purple that had a fire smoldering deep within, her antenna swept back into perfect tight little curls, her face was small and fair boned, but her body showed sign's of the many years of training and conditioning.**

**"Stop drooling, and let's get this over with," came Purple's hiss, snapping him back into reality. He turned and threw Purple a look that could kill, before quickly taking the female's picture and taking some notes.**

**"Okay so what company are you with, what training have you had, and what is your status and name," Purple rambled off, not looking up from his data pad.**

**"Sirs, I am stationed with the Armada section 7768 responsible for On Planet Organic Sweep. Completed training on five planets including Vort, Jasem, Draglin, Militaria, and Hobo13. Status Captain, name Lir." the female stated before snapping into a clean salute. Purple began scratching notes onto his data pad, while Red simply stood with his mouth hanging open.**

**"Is something wrong my Tallest," Lir asked as she noticed Red's distress.**

**"No...nothing's wrong, that's quite an impresive line up," he answered quickly as he caught Purple's death glare.**

**"Yes, yes very nice, now start the measuring," Purple replied with a dismisive wave of his hand. In response to his order, several mechanical arms made their way from the ceiling too begin the tediouse task of measuring and examining every inch of their new subject. Lir stood still and held her breath, her violet eyes darting from arm to arm. Suddenly the arms snapped back and retreated into ceiling to await their next victim. **

**"There, now that wasn't so bad was it," he commented with a smile as he watched Lir breath a sigh of relife. Lir turned to him and flashed him a beautiful smile as a deep blush made it's way to her cheeks.**

**"No my Tallest...that wasn't so bad," she stated quietly bowing her head in submission.**

**"Please, call me Red," he requested, placing a slim claw under her chin bringing her violet eyes to meet his red ones. **

**"Yes my Tall...I mean...Red," she replied as the blush deeped on her face. Purple rolled his eyes and returned his eyes to his data pad to watch the information that was pouring into it, what he saw however nearly made his eyes pop out of his head.**

**"Red...I think you should see this," Purple called as he slowly collapsed into the nearest chair.**

**"What is it, I'm trying to work over here," he demanded not bothering to hide his annoyance as he made his way to Purple's side. His only answer however was Purple shoving his data pad under his nose. Taking the pad he began scanning over the information, his own eyes growing as big as saucers.**

**"Holy...is...this can't be right," He stammered as he re-read the information.**

**"It is, and...we have a new co-ruler," Purple stated dumbly as he shakily rose to his feet.**

**"What, but she's a military captain, we can't just yank her out of her job and say 'Yeah she's the new Tallest so you'll just have to train somebody else,' we're in the middle of an Invasion for Irk's sake," he replied though clenched teeth, as he fought to keep from yelling.**

**"You think I'm happy about this, I know what's on the line Red, but we don't have a choice, she's a Tallest now and there's nothing we or her can do about it," Purple hissed, as his antenna gave a sharp twitch.**

**"Look...I'm sorry, but if we do this, that means we'll have to cancel Operation Impending Doom II, and that's going to look really, really, bad," he answerd with a heavy sigh, he hated it when Purple got upset, he wasn't good at it.**

**"I know that, but like I said we don't have a choice in the matter," Purple sighed, his antenna relaxing against his head. Red ground his teeth and turned with Purple to face Lir.**

**"Captain Lir, I'm afraid that we have some good news and some bad news."**

**End Red's Dream and his POV**

**Red sat bolt upright in his bed, and tried to catch his breath. 'Damn it...everynight...it's the same dream," Red thought as he lowered himself back down onto the bed. He wanted to get up again, but his body wasn't listening. With a frustrated groan, Red gave up and resigned to staring up at the wire and cable filled ceiling. Slowly sleep began to take over his mind, and he was once again shoved back into darkness with nothing but his memories to haunt him.**

**Author's Note:**

**Okay, I know this was really short and really stupid, but come on people it's two in fucking morning, and I am going to bed. So goodnight all, and flame me in my nightmarish Hell. YES, FLAME AWAY YOU JERKS...and to those of you who aren't going to flame me, I love you...I love you good. Next chapter...I'm not even going to say, cause I don't know yet...so...REVIEW!!!**


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